The growing interest in alternative medicine has produced a number of new reference books. This set from Gale is "a one-stop source for alternative medical information." It contains 750 alphabetically arranged articles covering 157 therapies, 238 diseases and conditions, and 306 herbs and other remedies. Alternative health practitioners, educators, pharmacists, and medical writers wrote these signed entries, all of which include resource lists of books, articles, and organizations. Many are illustrated with black-and-white photographs; a photo gallery of color plates of medicinal plants appears in each volume. Many entries also have sidebar glossaries of key terms and biographies of important practitioners.
The medical advisors and editors chose the subjects of the articles after reviewing professional and lay resources. Entries for therapies (Acupuncture, Rolfing) include descriptions and information on the origins, benefits, description, preparations, precautions, side effects, research, and general acceptance. Those covering herbs and remedies (Ginseng, Saw palmetto) include general use, preparations, precautions, side effects, and interactions. Entries for diseases and conditions cover definitions, descriptions, causes and symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, allopathic treatment, expected results, and prevention. Cross-references make locating relevant material easy. The articles are written in lay language, so they are easy to read and understand.
Although The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine is a comprehensive source, it does not offer anything that cannot be found in one-volume resources such as Alternative Medicine: The Definitive Guide (Future Medicine, 1993). The articles on diseases and conditions are taken from The Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (1998) with minor editing. Libraries specializing in alternative medicine may want to consider this encyclopedia, but it is not a necessary purchase for those who own other sources on the subject. RBB
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